News from the Graduate Program in Critical & Creative Thinking
University of Massachusetts Boston23 February 2019
Student Matters
All current students expecting a May or August graduation (MA or Graduate Certificate) must apply to graduate by March 8th by following the steps here (see section for Graduate Students).
For materials previously available on CCT wikispaces pages, please refer now to the CCT web site and then look under CCT Student & Community Resources for the regular and Science in a Changing World tracks.
CCT Community
This upcoming spring marks the 40th anniversary of the CCT Program and
will be celebrated by a one-day conference. See below under Events.
CCT Director and Professor Peter Taylor has recently completed a new working paper, "Design for Living Complexities", based on the development and teaching of a CCT course of the same name. Other past papers include his 2015 "50 whys to look for genes: Pros and complications", and his 2012 "Now It Is Impossible 'Simply To Continue Along Previous Lines': A Partial Design Sketch of Enactable Social Theorizing"
Moral Philosophy, Race, and Education: Reflecting on the Work of Larry Blum
March 07, 2019, 2:00-6:15pm at UMB, Quinn Administration Building, 3rd Floor, Chancellor’s Conference Room (0059)
This series of events addresses the work of Larry Blum (CCT faculty) through talks in the areas of "Moral Philosophy", and "Race Studies, Education, and Philosophical Method", an interview with UMB Philosophy students, and a keynote lecture by Professor Larry Blum.
Gravity Arts, directed by CCT faculty Ben Schwendener, is honored and grateful to have been selected to receive one of this year's prestigious grants from the Boston Cultural Council (BCC). Under the umbrella of the Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture, the BCC helps to ensure that grant-making responds to the needs of the cultural community. It annually distributes funds allocated by the City of Boston and the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency, to support innovative arts, humanities, and interpretive sciences programming that enhances the quality of life in our city. Specifically, the BCC aims to support organizations that "Integrate arts and culture into all aspects of civic life, inspiring all Bostonians to value, practice, and reap the benefits of creativity in their individual lives and in their communities." Gravity Arts is proud to be one of these organizations.
CCT Events
Sunday, May 5, 2019, 8:45am-5:15pm in Arlington, MA, with evening reception/dinner to follow for local participants who can join.
Journeys: Changing Our Schools, Workplaces, and Lives
A conference-workshop to mark 40 years of the Graduate Program in Critical & Creative Thinking
Participate in person or online. Open to all.
During this one-day conference-workshop, we will create spaces,
interactions, and support that help us recognize and extend the changes
that we—students, alums, faculty, and associates from CCT's 40
years—have made in our schools, workplaces, and lives.
Preparing for and participating in this conference-workshop will provide
an opportunity to reflect on ways that developing as a critical,
creative and reflective practitioner is like a journey into unfamiliar
areas—journeying involves risk, opens up questions, creates more
experiences than can be integrated at first, requires support, and
yields personal and professional change. See the web site for more details and as new information is added.
Alum and CCT associates Notes
CCT alums and associates are encouraged to send items of interest to
the Critical and Creative Thinking community to be included in future
newsletters. Please submit events, announcements, and opportunities
through this form: http://bit.ly/CCTSICWi
Events
Women's Leadership Success in Higher Education
Two events in 2019: March 27-29, Denver & June 10-12, New Orleans
This conference welcomes women from all over the country who want to gain confidence as a leader, prioritize goals, chart their career paths, and expand their network.
For registration and agenda information, see the web site.
Foster Creative and Critical Thinking Through Intrinsic Motivation
Magna Online Seminar
March 7, 2019 1:00pm Central Time
This Magna Online Seminar will provide a variety of highly motivating learning design strategies that foster both creative and critical thinking. Participants will gain understanding of some of the differences between creative and critical thought processes and how these kinds of thinking are tied to intrinsic motivation. Highly motivating learning activities that foster both kinds of thinking will be shared, along with a motivational lesson design analysis tool. Upon completion of the seminar, faculty can use the motivational lesson design analysis tool to evaluate the learning and assessment design in their courses to ensure that the courses are designed to evoke both critical and creative thinking in the classroom.
See the web site for registration options and included benefits of attendance.
The Future of Food
On exhibit, February 1 - March 2, 2019 at UsagiNY Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
This latest exhibition from SciArt Center features the work of 22 artists who explore the scientific and cultural evolution of food as sustenance, a waste product, and creative medium as we look towards our futures. For more information, see the web site.
SXSW EDU 2019 Conference & Festival
March 4-7, 2019, Austin, TX
The SXSW EDU Conference & Festival features four days of compelling content for education professionals, industry leaders and policy makers looking to connect, collaborate, create and change how we teach and learn. See the web site for information and to register.
Empower19: The Conference for Every Educator
Sponsored by ASCD
March 16-18, 2019, Chicago, IL
Educators across all types can choose from among 400 learning sessions as well as hear talks from many featured speakers. Pre-conference sessions available starting March 13th. For full details and to register, see the main web site.
Online Learning Consortium Innovate 2019 Conference: Education Reimagined
This year’s theme is “Moving Mountains in Digital, Blended, and Online Learning.”
April 2-5, Denver, CO
At OLC Innovate, we will conduct a series of engaging hands-on sessions aimed at fostering organic interactions and collaborative cross-disciplinary problem solving. Together we will build new foundations for stronger, better higher education environments. And because innovation scales best when ideas are shared, our work sessions will explore digital technologies and adapted teaching behaviors aimed at informing policy, inspiring leadership, and evolving practice at all levels impacting institutions, universities and colleges.
Register here as an onsite or virtual attendee
and see more information about the full program here.
The Science of Happiness: Live
Sponsored by the Greater Good Science Center
May 2-5, 2019, Santa Cruz, CA, at the 1440 Multiversity
What does it mean to live a happy, meaningful life? How can we nurture compassion and resilience during challenging times? Come explore research-based answers at this special three-day GGSC event, joined by inspiring teachers like Jack Kornfield, Barbara Fredrickson, Richard Davidson, and the GGSC's Dacher Keltner and Emiliana Simon-Thomas.
13 CE hours for psychologists, social workers, MFTs, counselors, nurses, teachers, and others. For more details, see the web site.
Panel discussion: What are the Qualities of Transformative Leaders?
April 3, 2019, 4:30-7:30pm, Babson College, Boston Campus
Panelists will discuss how college and university leaders overcome emerging challenges to become more dynamic and will examine questions such as: How can colleges leaders cultivate an entrepreneurial environment? What are the foundational elements of innovative organizations, within and outside of higher education? How can colleges implement innovative ideas and take advantage of creative thinking on campus?
Register here. Attendance is free, but space is limited.
Ruling Our Experiences, Inc. (ROX) is the national non-profit leader on programming, research, and education focused on girls and has launched the ROX Research and Training Institute. The ROX mission is to equip girls with the knowledge and skills needed to live healthy, independent, productive, and violence free lives. At ROX, we implement evidence-based and professionally delivered programming for girls, we conduct relevant and innovative research with girls throughout the country, and we educate and provide support to schools, community members, and parents regarding the issues impacting girls. All interested in this work are invited to see the ROX video and web site to learn more.
Workshop: How We Argue: A one-day workshop for teachers and debate coaches
March 22, 2019, UMass Boston Healey Library
Based on research by ThinkerAnalytix and the Harvard Department of Philosophy, this workshop introduces argument mapping, a powerful tool for engaging the most controversial issues. We will teach you to expose the hidden structure of arguments to reveal unstated premises and weak support relationships.
See the registration page for additional program and cost details.
Also see related research from ThinkerAnalytix.
Request for Proposals: Technology, Mind & Society Conference 2019
Proposals are being requested for poster and paper sessions for the conference, to be held October 3-5, 2019 in Washington, D.C. The proposal deadline is March 8th. See the web site for more details about the conference and proposal guidelines.
The Literacy Lab is a non-profit whose mission is to close the literacy achievement gap for elementary students in high-need communities through evidence-based literacy intervention. We are currently recruiting 25 tutors to serve next school year in the Western Mass area. Tutors will commit to serving one academic year and will provide daily one-on-one reading interventions to elementary school students who are on pace for third-grade reading failure. If you have an interest in education, non-profits, social justice, or community empowerment, we encourage you to consider our program!
To apply and see more information on requirements and benefits, see the web site for an Overview, sign up form for upcoming webinars in March, and the application form
Urban Ecology Center's summer 2019 Intensive Workshop
July 22-26, 2019, Milwaukee, WI
A week-long deep dive into a distinctive model that combines urban environmental education, research and community science, land stewardship, and neighborhood renewal. Participants will experience the model firsthand and join a cohort of educators, problem solvers, and city leaders from around the world. Based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the Urban Ecology Center offers 20+ years of experience in neighborhood transformation. More engaging than a seminar, more interactive than a workshop, only a little more serious than summer camp, this Intensive is quite simply, more!
Applications accepted through May 1, 2019. Apply and learn more here.
Free Online Course: The Health Effects of Climate Change
Offered through HarvardX
Enroll here: Self-paced course open for enrollment through June 3, 2019
Created by C-CHANGE Co-Director Aaron Bernstein and the Harvard Global Health Institute, this self-paced course will explain how climate change impacts people around the globe, and also how it directly affects you and your life. Though your risk rises with the rising global temperatures, climate change is a solvable problem, and there are things you can do to mitigate that risk.
In this course, you'll learn:
Climate change’s impacts on nutrition, migration, and infectious diseases
The research methods used in this field
Strategies to mitigate and adapt to the health impacts of climate change
How changes in Earth’s atmosphere affect health outcomes
How to assess the various ways of addressing the health effects of global warming
The UMass Boston Office of Research and Sponsored Programs provides training and directs the university community to other opportunities to learn about research administration and related topics. For the full current list of opportunities, see the pages for 2019 Professional Development Opportunities and the ORSP Training & Education web page.
The Science Festival Alliance publishes an interactive map showing upcoming festivals that celebrate science and technology: see https://sciencefestivals.org/festivals/
Food for Thought
(additional web links and posts can also be found on CCT's Diigo pages. General critical and creative thinking focus: https://groups.diigo.com/group/ccreflect; Science in a Changing World focus: https://groups.diigo.com/group/sicwumb)
Video:
Bill Bailey - Major / Minor (YouTube)
Fritjof Capra's presentation on ethics (Vimeo)
Poverty isn't a lack of character; it's a lack of cash (YouTube)
Articles:
3 philosophers set up a booth on a street corner - here's what people asked (The Conversation)
It's time for a robust philosophical defence of truth in science (Aeon)
Perception: Is Seeing Believing? (SciArt Magazine)
We're not "women in science", we're scientists (LinkedIn)
Why Highly Creative People Work in Pairs (Artsy)
Why Aren't We Using More Nature-Based Solutions to Fight Climate Change? (Pacific Standard)
We Need an Ecological Civilization Before It's Too Late (Patterns of Meaning)
Reinventing the Special Olympics (Pacific Standard)
Thirteen Films That Highlight the Best in Humanity (Greater Good Science Center)
How People Become Radicalized (Scientific American)
Striking a Nerve: The Benefits and Neurobiology of Story-Based Learning (Tesseract Learning)
The Future of the Mind (Edge)
BBC - Capital - Sweden's surprising rule for time off (BBC)
Vaccine U-turn: Measles surges as campaigners ride populist wave of distrust in government (CNN)
Here, here: the Swedish online love army who take on the trolls (The Guardian)
I Blocked Amazon, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, and Apple (Gizmodo)
Biological and Cultural Evolution (Edge)
Certain Video Games Encourage Creative Thinking In Teens (The Fresh Toast)
What the Davos technologists missed in this week's skills gap debate (TechWorld)
The Flathead Beacon's Best of 2018 from the Police Blotter (Flathead Beacon, Kalispell, Montana)